Terms
Understanding Sex and Gender
Gender Stratification: Males' and females' unequal access to power, prestige, and property on the basis of their sex
Master Status: A status that cuts across the other statuses than an individual occupies
Sex: Biological characteristics that distinguish females and males, consisting of primary and secondary sex characteristics
Gender: Culturally and socially constructed differences between females and males that are based on meanings, beliefs, and practices that a group or society associates with "femininity or "masculinity"
Discrimination: Actions or practices of dominate group members (or their representatives) that have a harmful impact on members of subordinate groups
Patriarchy: A society or group in which men dominate women, authority is vested in males.
Feminism: The philosophy that men and women should be politically, economically, and socially equal; organized activities on behalf of this principle
Sexism: The subordinate of one sex, usually female,. based on the assumed superiority of the other sex
Gender Division of Labor: The process whereby productive tasks are separated on the basis of gender
Gender Bias: A situation in which favoritism is shown towards one gender
Wage Gap: The disparity between women's and men's earnings
Comparable Worth: The belief that wages ought to reflect the worth of a job, not the gender or race of the worker
Glass Ceiling: The mostly invisible barrier constructed by male management that prevents women from reaching top positions in major corporations and other large-scale organizations
Glass Escalator: The mostly invisible accelerators that push men into higher-level positions, more desirable work assignments, and higher salaries
Sexual Harassment: The abuse of one's position of authority to force unwanted sexual demands, advances, requests for sexual favors, or other verbal or physical conduct of sexual nature on another
